Traveling and elevating parcel-carrier.



J. L. BALDWIN.

RAVELING AND ELEVATING PARCEL CARRIER. APPLICATION FILED we. I3. 1912.

1,270,099. Patented June 18, 1918.

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J. L. BALDWIN. TRAVELING AND ELEVATING PARCEL CARRIER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-l3, [912- 1,270,099. Patented June 18, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

(1 LL l L JAMES L. BALDWIN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

TRAVELING AND ELEVATING PARCEL-CARRIER.

Specification of Letters Patent Patented June 18, 1918.

Application filed August 13, 1912. Seria1No.714,911.

, To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES L. BALDWIN,

, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented. a new and useful Traveling and Elevating Parcel-Carrier, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to wire line carriers and more especially to what I have termed tip-thrust and down-chute carrier apparatus and the objects of my improvements are, firstto afford provisions in wire line service whereby a carrier may rise over obstructions such as partitions, grilles, etc., or may rise to an upper floor and run at right angles to a station located at a considerable distance from the lower sending point;

other elevation.

second, to provide a continuous track partly horizontal and partly vertical and a car to travel on said track; third, to connect a horizontal track and a vertical with a curved track and provide an elevator or *arriagc in connection with the vertical track; fourth to provide a vertical track with an elevator or *arriage which will automatically be released to elevate or lower a car by the presence of the car; fifth, to make a neat,

efficient and durable device, and other.

features to become apparent from the description to follow.

In store service apparatus for transmitting parcels'from place to place, it is often required that the car containing the parcel be inadeto travel up anincline, as for instance when passing from a counter on the floor to a station located on a balcony or Heretiofore such transmission has been accomplished by the use of an inclined track and a car to travel on said track. It is necessary in such devices to exert a considerable amount of propelling force to make the car reach the elevated station and time and patience are often consumed by the car failing to be thrown with sutlicient force to reach the elevated station and, of course, the operation has to be repeated. By the use of my invention all inclines of the track of any perceptible de- 4 gree are eliminated and only a slight degree of propelling force is required to send the car from a low station to an elevated station. My invention comprises a track in substantially a horizontal plane with a vertical portion at the end of same, and an elevator or carriage is provided in connection with the vertical portion to automatically raise or lower thecar upon its arrival at the vertical portion of the track.

To describe my invention so that others versed in the art to which it pertains can make and use the same, I have illustrated it on the accompanying two sheets of drawings forming a part of this specification, in which Figure 1, is a sectional view of a portion of a building showing a device embodying my invention arranged to transmit parcels from one floor to another; Fig. 2, is a per spcctive view of said device enlarged and foreshortened; Fig. 3, is an enlarged elevation of the upper end elevator or carriage and (so-acting parts; Fig.4, is an elevation of the same viewed at right angles from that shown in Fig. 3, and Fig. 5, is a plan View of the same.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The two side walls of a building are shown at 6 and a floor supported by the Walls at '7. The track is preferably constructed of a single wire 8 and as illustrated is secured to the floor by suitable supports to be held taut in substantially a horizontal position throughout its middle portion and in a vertical position at each end of the horizontal part as shown at 9 and 10, said vertical portions being a continuation of, and connected by means of the curves 11 and 12, to, the middle portion 8. It will be noted that the vertical track 9 is, below the horizontal track 8 and that the vertical track 10 is above the horizontal track ,8; furthermore, it will be noted especially'in Fig. 1, that the end of the horizontal portion 8 nearest the lower'vertical trackf9 is slightly lower than the other end near the upper vertical track 10. This slight inclination of the horizontal track is made for the purpose of causing the car13 to normally gravitate along on the track 8 from the vertical track 10 to the vertical track 9. Thus the car 13 isprevented from becoming stalled on the horizontal track 8. c

side of the vertical wire to correspond with the lower side of the horizontal wire 8 after the car passes around the curve. I provide twoguide wires- M parallel to the vertical track wires 9 and 10 in such *p'ositio n that the parcel container on the car will pass freely between said two wires 14c, but will be prevented by Sald two wires from turning about the vertical track wire asfa pivqt. ,Theends of the guide wires 14: are secured to su'itable fixed v brackets provided tor'the purpose and to be described later. .'l:he curved tracks Qth'e curved [track wire and its remaining edge 17 rigidly secured as bolts 18 to a 191 also curved to conform to the desired 7 v iirveot the traclg A companion 20 is ,provi'defd toiparallel'thelbar 19 and the two bars are adjustably connected together at intervals as by screwsfand slotted brackets 21'. At that. end oi 'the curved track'which connects with the verticaltrack v theends of the ,rods 19 (and 20 are rigidly -,seci ired by screws'or otherwise to'a bracket v i l 5,,iil1'ichis rigidlysecured in positibn by ,I'nca'nsct "ahceilin'g stay 23 or otherwise.

The two extremities of the bracket 22 are equal" distancesfroin the track wire and have; the ends ofithe guide wires 1% attached .tliereto. .Thusthe bracket 22 serves to hold ftlielba'rs19QandY20, the guide wires 14 and fltheitrackwirewinproper position with reg men t e, another, At that end of the errata track which connects, with the ,horiz ,p11,m1 mar ne ends of the itw'o rods 19 and 1 1 2 0 are a secured to; another semicircular bracket Qtwhich yok'e over the, track wire;

Qthe one extremity of the bracket 24L is rig-. idly, cbniiected to the rodsJlQiand 20,.and the; otherfleiitre niity oflsai'd bracket v241 is Connectedto and 7 supports a sho'rt guardirail '25,. which iis' directl'y opposite to the flaring guardrail 26'for1ned ,on the one end gotthe rodt2l). Theguard rails'25 and 26 are positioned equal distances from the track .ofsen icircular forin' best seen inFig.

wirelandf'at such di'stance fronieach other freely between the two.

. a elevator or carriage from a low position'to a high position.

rectangular fraine 27 provided with perforations through which the guide wires 14 pass so thatth'e'e'l'evator or carnage is free to move upand down on said guidewires 14;, A snitable cord 28 is attached to the elevator or carriage at 29 and extends upward andover a suitable idler and has a weight '28"a'ttach' ed to itsends of suflicient heft to lift the elevator. or carriage andcar 13 together withjthe contents of the parcel container. A spring pressed latch 30 pivoted ma suitable extension onbracket 22' is provided to automatically catch over a su table extension on the elevator or car- I! 1 v'i 'I il. 1)

riage and prevent said elevator or carnage moving upward until the said latchis withdrawn bythe presence of the car 135 which will engage the lower free end of the latch 30 which is n orinall'y held in the path of the car. The end of the car 13 is provided with a perforation 31' into which the spring pressed catch'31 automaticallylatches when the car 13 c'o1nes intocontact with theelevator or carr age. i The catch 31 is pivotally mounted on the elevator or carriage in propcrposition to register with the cooperating perforation on thecar 13.

In operation'the car l3 isgiven a slight push or thrust by operating thefelevator or carriage on the lower vertical'track 9 .to be described; thecartravels along' on theliorizontal track 8 andits momentum will carry the car upwa r'd aroundthe ciirved track 12 and against the lowerend ofthe'elevator or carriagewhich is beii'ifg retained in its lower position by the latch30, .As the car 13' thus contacts with the 'elev'ator or 'car riage it is locked to'the elevator or carriage by thecatch 31 fas'above described, and the latch 30 is withdrawn vfrom engagement with the el vatbror carriage by the car as above described, and the elevator or earriage with the car attached thereto'is lifted by the weight as above described into a position at the upper station at thetop endof the vertical tracl'r 10; To return the car frointhe upper station tothe lower station the elevator or carriage 27 is pulled. down byinanual force by pulling upward on'the cord 32 which passes around the idler 33 pivotally mounted on s'o' ne part of the bracket22 'andf thence passes upward/and has its cnd; securedto the elevator or carriag'e; 27 at 29} For convenience the cord.

28. and the cor'd'32 may be integral]and secured toelevator27 29. Thus the .ele; vat'oror carriageis pulled down against the exertionbfthe weight fastened to the end i of the cord 28, until it comes to a stop with ltfi spring bumpers 34; against the extremities of the semicircular bracket 22. Just force of gravity away from the elevator or carriage 27 and downward around the curved track 12 and thence along the horizontal track 8 and thence downward around the curved track 11 and onto the elevator or carriage 37 on the lower vertical track 9.

' It will be noted that the position of the elevator or carriage on vertical track 10, when being held by latch 30, is some distance above its lowermost position this is thusly arranged so that the car 13 when leaving the elevator or carriage 27 in its downward course will be past the point where it engages the tail end of the latch 30 and the said latch is in position to retain the elevator or carriage in its lower position as soon as the pull on the cord 32 is released. a i

The lower elevator or carriage 37 is constructed similar to the upper elevator or carriage 27 and arranged to slide up and down on the guide wires 38, stretched'taut between the bracket 22 of the curved track 11 and a suitable station bracket 39 secured to a. desk or counter. Both elevators or carriages are preferably provided with spring bumpers 34 at one end to engage the bracket 22 of the curved track, and with spring bumpers 40 at the other end to engage with the station bracket and also with a spring bumper 41 to receive the impact of the car 13. The lower elevator or carriage 37 does not require a catch 31 for the car because the car will by force of gravity follow the elevator or carriage 37 downward; neither is it necessary to provide alatch '30 to retain the elevator or carriage 37 in position nearest to the curved track 11 because I provide a weight d2 [0 normally hold the elevator or carriage 37 in itsuppermost position. The weight 42 is attached to one end of a cord 43 which passes up around an idler 44 and thence down to and is attached to, the elevator or carriage 37. The weight 42 is only slightly heavier than the elevator or carriage 37 and is lighter than the combined weight of the elevator or carriage 37 and car 13, so that the elevator or carriage alone will always be held in its uppermost position but when the car 13 rests on the elevator or carriage it will move down into its lowermost position against the upward pull caused by the weight 4-2.

In operation the car 13 after leaving the upper station and theelevator or carriage 27 travels along on the horizontal track 8, thence around on the curved track 11 and thence down onto the elevator or carriage 37 and finally down with the elevator or carriage to the lowermost position against the station bracket 39. To send or throw the car 13 up and out from the lower station the elevator or carriage is raised by manual force until it comes to a stop with the bumpers 34 against the'bracket 22 of the curved track 11. The elevator or carriage 37 is raised with sutiicient force to give the car 13 a suflicient thrust and momentum to pass up around on the curved track 11, travel the entire length of the track 8 which is slightly inclined as above noted and finally to travel up around on the curved track 12 into contact with elevator or carriage 27. To conveniently raise the elevator or carriage 37 as required I attach one end of a pull cord 44 to the elevator or carriage 37 pass the said cord upward over a multiple of pulleys and secure the otherend to a pulley block 45, to which I secure a handle 46 to be grasped by the hand of the operator.

It will be understood that numerous changes may be made in the construction of the parts as shown and described without in the least departing from the scope of the invention.

Having thus fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:-

1. A track comprising a horizontal section with a vertical section at one end below the horizontal section and a vertical section at the other end above the horizontal section, a car to travel on said track, a combined catcher and thrower for the car guided to travel parallel to the lower vertical section of the track comprising a suitable frame with buffer sprlngs and a pull cord and counter weight to operate said combined catcher and thrower, a combined catcher and elevator for the car guided to travel parallel to the upper vertical section or the track comprising a suitable frame with butter springs and a pull cord tor opcrating said combined catcher and elevator.

2. In a device of the class described. a

"track comprising ahorizontal section with a vertical section at one end below the plane of the horizontal section, a car to travel on said track, a combined catcher and thrower for the car guided to travel parallel to said vertical section comprising a suitable frame with buffer springs at each end, means for .yieldingly holding said combined catcher guidedto 'moveparallel to said vertical section and Ycounterweighted to; normally rest section comprising a suitable r-fr'anie -wit'h bufler'sprin gs at. each end, means for loching' the elevator in its lower position in the absenceof (the cara'nd apul'l cord for operating said elevator.

4. l nraydevice of theclassdescribedpa track comprising? a=horigontalsection with a vertical section at one end below the horizontal sectionand a vertical-section at the other endabove .the horizontal section, acar to travel on said track,a combined catcher and thrower for the car guidedv to travel parallel to the lower. vertical section of the track, a combined elevator and catcher ,for

the carguided to travel parallel to the up-. per vertical section of the traclrand suit-able un cords to operate 'said combinedcatcher and thrower and catcher. j

said combined elevator and 5. In a device of theclass -desc'ribed, ,a

track c oinprisinga horizontal section with a 'buffer'springs on the upper end of said combined catcher and thrower.

6. In a device of the. class described, track comprising a horizontal section with a vertical section at oneend abovethe horizontal section, a .car to travel on .said track, a'con'fbin'ed catcherandclevator forthe ear in its upper position and a :pull cord for lowering said conibinedicatcher and elevator. 1 s 1-; 7. Inia store service apparatus, .thefcombination with substantially verticaland substantially horizontal WaySIfOT guiding a1" car upwardly and laterally. to a'station ,at-f'a higher level, said ways being connected by station ona given floor, a substantially horian intervening track curve, an elevator in parallel' relatio'n to said upward way for supporting a car, acar adapted to travel on said ways and curve, propelling; means, for

lifting'said elevator and yielding counterpoise means adapted to hold said elevatorin a raised position when the cari's removed therefrom, while free. to yield to the combinedweight ofzthe'elevator and car to permit the descent 'of the latte/1%,; v.

SKA store service :'apparatus, comprising an elevator, means for guiding the sameu and down; cord propelling means'for lifting said elevator, a wheeledoar adapted to be supported by saidlelevator during its upward and downward movement altrack way in parailelrelation to the path of said elevator for engaging. the wheels-Pot said car,

a lateral way Jat a level above the r topmost height towhich said'relevator is "adapted to the respective stations, V I v V p 7 12 y A store service apparatus, comprising in. combination upwardly and laterally 1dibe moved, a track curve for connecting said lateral with said up and down ways and yielding means for holding said elevatorin azraised position when the car is not resting thereonbut; adapted to yield to the wei h of-the; elevatora'nd cartogether. t

.; T9,; In astoreservic'e apparatus, the .co n- 'hin'atio fi with s'ubstantially vertical and sub- -stantially, horizontal ways united by a curved connection, of an elevator in parallel relation to said upward way for supporting a filarethereon, the wheels of whichcar are arranged to'successively engage said ways dur ng, itstravel, a car adapted to besupported by said elevator when its wheels are injcontactwith said vertical way, counter- "poise mea'nsi'for holding said elevator at its 1 topmost l'evelwhen the car is not resting thereon, but adapted to permit its descent- ,when weighted by the car, propelling means :for causing the ascent of.said elevator and carand pro f'jellinfg means for returning said ,iear-uponsaid horizontal waywhereby it may be caused to fall upon said elevator and cause the descent'ofthe latter. p 10.- In a, store service apparatus, the comto form communication between upper, and

il'owers'tations, of an elevatorjiniparallel re- 'lation to said upward way for supporting a car thereon, the wheels of which car are artact with said upward way, counterpoise :I'Iieans for, holding said elevator at its topmost level when the caris notresting thereon, but adapted to permit ifts descent when weighted by :the car, propelling means at said lower station for lifting said elevator and propelling means at said upward station *forireturhing said car-to said elevator. l1. l [n a store service apparatus, thecombination of an upward wayleading from a :zontal w'ayf leading 'to a station upon a higher floor,- a curved track connection for uniting said ways, ,anrelevator inparallel relation to said upwardway for supporting a car,

bination with upward and substantiallyhori 'z'ontal Way's united by a curved connection the wheels of which are arranged to follow 1 said wa s and track connection; a car adapted'ftobe sup'portedby said elevator when its wheels are in jcontactjwith saidupward way, means for guiding said car around said curved connection to maintain the body thereof in agiven -plane,counterpoise means forgholbling'said elevator at its topmost level .when the car isnot resting thereon but adapted to permit its descent. when weighted bythe car an'd propelling means located at rectedvways united by a connecting portion to form a substantially continuous way from the receiving to the delivery stations, a carrier adapted to travel along and under the constant control of said continuous Way, manually operable means for raising the carrier along the upwardly directed portion of said way to the connecting portion to impel it by momentum over said connecting portion and along the laterally directed portion without intermission of track control, means for retaining said raising means at a predetermined height in proximity to said connecting portion when the car is not resting thereon and manually controlled means for causing the return of said car from the delivery station to said raising means.

13. A store service apparatus, comprising in combination, upwardly and laterally directed ways united by means of a curved connection to form a continuous way between lower and upper stations, elevating means for supporting a wheeled car thereon, the wheels of which are arranged to contact continuously in their travel with said continuous way, a car adapted to be supported by said elevator when its wheels are in contact with said upward way, means for maintaining said elevator at a predetermined level when the car is not resting thereon, propolling means at said lower station for lifting said elevator and car, and propelling means at said upper station for returning said car to said elevator.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in presence of two subscribing witnesses this 10th day of August 1912 at Chicago, Illinois.

JAMES Li BALDWIN.

Witnesses:

RICHARD J. J ACKER, B. J. EISENSTEIN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

